How the financial crisis of 2008 affected the interior of modern-day coffee shops

First, this is not a theory I came up with. This week I saw a video claiming that modern-day cafés have their unique look because of the real estate financial crisis of 2008. I don’t have any proof to say if it’s true or not, but I think there are some valid points to it, and it’s an interesting take. So I’d like to elaborate a bit on the concept.

Before we dive into the change, let’s begin by describing how popular coffee shops used to look. They were cozy, maximalist, Italian-inspired. Wooden panels, incoherent soft couches, rugs on the floor, dim lighting, and warm decoration on the walls. Believe it or not, this was also how Starbucks used to look.

Fast forward 20 years. Today, most popular coffee shops have a very different aesthetic: open ceilings showing piping, bare walls, minimalistic and uniform furniture.

So why did this change happen? I’m sure we all remember both styles being dominant, but this is where it gets interesting.

In 2008, there was a major crash in the real estate market (to learn more, go watch The Big Short, I think it’s on Netflix), which basically meant real estate prices plummeted, businesses went bankrupt, and people lost their jobs.
So far so good. What does that have to do with coffee shops?

With real estate prices being low, and a lot of people going out of business, that actually opened a window for young entrepreneurs to get into business. They would often aim for cheap, available store spaces for their coffee shops.

The best example I can think of from my own life is Panther Café in Wynwood, Miami. I went to Miami for Christmas in 2015, and Wynwood was a very popular up-and-coming area. If you’re not familiar with the area, a lot of art shops, coffee shops, and boutiques had popped up there since 2008. The main attraction in the area was a long graffiti wall.

Anyway, my friends took me to Panther Café, and I was blown away by two things:
The coffee was roasted on the spot. I had not seen that before, not in Copenhagen or anywhere else.
The coffee was so good. I’m not great at remembering tastes, but I do remember thinking that coffee was better than anything I’d ever tried before.

So what about the interior? It was rough. It felt like stepping into a coffee factory. Noise from the roasting, exposed ceilings, bare walls, concrete floors, uncomfortable furniture. It had such a nice entrepreneurial vibe. And remember, in 2015 the world was finally recovering after years of financial crisis. So it was really nice to see areas grow like that.

Now we fast forward seven years. I was back in Florida to attend my friend’s wedding, and I made a stop in Miami to show my girlfriend around. I took her to Wynwood, and by this point the whole area had become 100% gentrified. No more up-and-coming vibe. New tall buildings everywhere, super expensive stores, classic car dealerships, restaurants, and the worst thing: they had blocked off the famous graffiti wall and now charge 12 dollars to look at graffiti. I don’t mean to complain or open up a complex discussion about gentrification, but you must admit it’s a little amusing they now charge you to look at what was initially vandalism.

And what about the Panther Coffee shop? It looked exactly the same. And not only did it look the same, it looks the same as all coffee shops in Copenhagen, Berlin, Brooklyn, and everywhere else. No sofas, still exposed ceilings, walls, and floors.

Now to the final question: is this a good or a bad development? Do you miss sitting in a soft couch in a classic café?

Personally, I don’t mind it. It’s part of this place’s history, and I can appreciate that. I actually appreciate it even more when I think about how the economy helped shape that certain style that most trendy coffee shops still have today.

Last but not least, if you really miss that old-school European classic café, I went to “Central Café” in Vienna last winter. I’ll write another post about that some other time.

Check out the video below and make up your own mind.